Past Meets Present
by lostcowgirl
Summary: Thanks to his stubborn devotion to duty Matt is still sick when a series of incidents that start out as practical jokes turn serious enough to be life threatening. At the same time the cattle season begins with the influx of people that impact Matt & Kitty's past & present. This is an ATC to Season 6 Unloaded Gun. AN: Apologies to those who tried to read my first posting attempt.
1. Chapter 1 No Time to Be Sick

Chapter 1 – No Time to Be Sick

Kitty Russell stood with Doc Adams at the bottom of the physician's stairs, the fear plain on her face. Chester Goode, spurred into sudden action, ran toward the jailhouse and on to Moss Grimock's stable as fast as his stiff right leg allowed. Like his two friends the jailer knew his boss US Marshal Matt Dillon was too sick to face a killer. More importantly, Chester knew what began as the helpful task of cleaning the filthy revolver belonging to his ill boss had turned into a nightmare. Thanks to his pretending he was a real gun hand, he'd lowered Mr. Dillon's chances of surviving a gunfight in his current condition from small to none. Knowing he would have reloaded it if Doc hadn't needed him to help set a broken leg instead of leaving it hanging in the gun belt holster on a peg didn't salve his conscience. He only hoped that he was in time to prevent the worst as he grabbed a rifle from the rack.

While the marshal's assistant made his way toward the stable six shots rang out, stirring the saloon owner and physician into action. They raced toward the sound, hoping against hope that there would be something they could do. Kitty saw only the unmoving body of the man she loved knowing that by waking him she had sent him to face possible death at the hands of the killer Joe Lyme while Doc, with his physician's eye, saw the tall lawman lying on the straw in an otherwise empty corner stall as a patient in need of his assistance who happened to be a close friend. Neither paid attention to Chester and his prisoner. The doctor pulled hard on his ear in an effort to suppress a smile. It didn't work. The short stab of pain contrasted with the concerned yet guilty look on the beautiful redhead's face turned his smile into a quiet chuckle that soon became a belly laugh.

"Doc, this isn't funny. I saw Chester taking Joe Lyme to jail before I spotted Matt. That can mean only one thing."

"It means something else," he replied knowing just what she was thinking. "He's not shot, Kitty, just very sick. We need to try to wake him so he can walk to my office unless you want to help me carry him down Front Street."

His words caused her to laugh more uproariously than the much older man beside her. Somehow none of the shots had hit the person they were looking at. There was no blood anywhere near or on him. During the time it took to get their laughter under control they notice there was no blood at all. Relieved she hadn't sent him to his death Kitty set to waking the man sprawled in front of them.

"Matt, Matt! You've got to wake up!"

"You'd best listen to her Mr. Marshal," Doc said, adding his poking to her gentle shaking.

"Go away! Let me sleep!"

"In case you've forgotten, you've got a fever and despite the unseasonably warm March weather, a stable is too drafty for someone as sick as you. On your feet! Doctor's orders!"

"Come on, Matt. Get up and walk with us to Doc's office. You can sleep as much as you want in his back room. We won't let anybody disturb you except for your own good."

Slowly Kitty and Doc's words penetrated his fever-fogged brain and he opened his eyes to see their concerned faces. With what in his current state amounted to a Herculean effort he sat up. Then, with the aid of the slats forming one side of the stall and the two people with him, Matt pulled himself up to lean against the side of the stall until the dizziness and blurred vision subsided. Finally, he was ready. With Kitty on his right and Doc on his left he shuffled off to Doc's office, barely stopping at his own office door to let Chester know where they were going.

"Hold on, Kitty. What do you mean except for my own good?" Matt asked when they arrived at their destination. "Do you plan on waking me to face someone else who's gunning for me?"

"Not unless facing a killer pleases you like what I have in mind. Of course Doc may not approve of all of what I might do to nurse you back to health!"

Despite the fever, Matt smiled in response. With renewed effort he continued on until he collapsed into Doc's backroom bed, falling back to sleep as Kitty removed his pants to leave him clad only in his union suit.

While Matt began the process of regaining his health under the care of his personal physician and nurse Chester tried his best to atone for his latest lapse in judgment. This was the worst even if Mr. Dillon claimed the unloaded gun saved his life. Had his boss not been so sick when he returned from chasing the Lyme brothers, he wouldn't have neglected his gun so much it needed cleaning and then reloading. However, fever or not, the gun was hanging on its usual peg when Matt grabbed it. There was no reason for him to think it wasn't ready for use. Chester didn't allow himself to goof off like he had. While Matt lay in his sickbed he diligently guarded the prisoner, except when he was able to get someone like Moss or Sam, the new bartender at the Long Branch, to relieve him for an hour so he could get meals for himself and the prisoner and check on his boss' condition.


	2. Chapter 2 Recovery and Relapse

Chapter 2 – Recovery and Relapse

It was still March, too soon for anyone but locals to be in town. Still, it wouldn't be long before the gamblers and cattle buyers started drifting in so they'd be ready for the Texas cowboys and their herds. Thanks to the fact few strangers were in town Chester could look after the town while Matt lay in his sickbed in Doc Adams' backroom. Dodge City, and the jailhouse specifically, remained in one piece. There was still time for the US Marshal in Dodge to regain his full health; that is, if he didn't, as usual, get back to work before Doc thought he should.

During those first days after he was coaxed out of the stable Matt's temperature rose until, thanks to Doc's powders and Kitty's tender application of cool cloths, the fever finally broke. His redheaded nurse, who was soon joined by his personal physician, was the first to notice him crack open his eyes.

"Welcome back," Kitty, a relieved smile on her face, told him. "How are you feeling?" she added while Doc removed the thermometer from his mouth.

"Weak. What did you put in that last potion you made me drink earlier today, Doc?"

"Just the usual powders to bring down your fever. For your information you've been lying here for five days. Even as brilliant a doctor as me couldn't have saved you if that killer had managed to get a bullet or two in you. It sure didn't help any that you bedded down in the barn!"

"That means Judge Brooking will be here in two days on his regular circuit to try Joe Lyme," Matt replied ignoring Doc's rant. "That is if I still have a prisoner to try."

"It's a miracle, but he's still locked up," Doc replied as Chester walked into Matt's sickroom. "I'll make a deal with you, Mr. Marshal. I'll let you out of this bed in time to arrange for the trial if you promise to do everything I tell you until then. Of course if you give me any trouble I'll have Kitty sit on you to keep you here. If that happened Chester would probably end up convincing the jury Lyme didn't kill anyone. That is, unless he loses him on the way to court so there's no trial. It could destroy your reputation."

"If you put it that way, as much as I like the thought of Kitty on top of me, I won't argue with you. What do I have to do first?"

"You can start by eating that bowl of porridge I've been keeping warm on my stove for the past hour. If you're still hungry after that I'll let you talk to Chester while Kitty gets you some eggs and toast from Delmonico's. On second thought, I'll send Chester for the tray. Talking to him might very possibly cause you to lose your appetite."

The trial went as Matt hoped. Lyme would hang in Hays as soon as the Dodge City lawman got him there.

Although he wasn't his usual robust self yet after his collapse from overwork, Matt Dillon set out alone, except for his prisoner, a mere week after his fever broke to bring the man to his hanging. If he were to be truthful with himself, he was still far from healthy. He probably shouldn't have undertaken the trip, but what choice did he have? Wait for the Hays sheriff or his deputy to come to Dodge for the prisoner or trust Chester to deliver Lyme or at the very least come along? The first would only delay the hanging. The second option presented its own set of problems. While bringing Chester along on the approximately 75-mile trip might allow him to at least snatch a moment or two of rest, Joe Lyme was far too wily a killer to chance it. He'd trick his assistant at some point and get away without killing either lawman. Going it alone might actually mean he and his prisoner would make it to Hays. Therefore, despite hogtying his prisoner when they camped for the night, Matt remained fully awake until he turned Lyme over to Frank Reardon at the end of the trail.

"Matt, you look like you could use some rest and a home cooked meal," Frank said as soon as the condemned man was safely locked away for the few hours remaining until his hanging. "Why don't you spend the night? Maria would love to see you if only so you can assure her that Kitty's in better shape than you appear to be."

"I want to get right back to Dodge, but I wouldn't mind a couple hours of sleep at your house. Kitty would be mad if I didn't say hello to Maria."

Leaving his deputy in charge, Frank walked with Matt to the small house listed in Maria's name. The Cheyenne woman took one look at her man's best friend and then a sharp look at Frank. The Hays lawman understood. He shoved the bigger man toward a chair. Matt was too exhausted to resist. He sat at the table while Maria brought him a cup of coffee. Despite the restorative liquid and a heaping plate of grits, side meat and eggs, their visitor's head drooped. Frank pointed him toward the bedroom where he remained awake only long enough to remove his gun belt and boots.

"Matt, wake up. It's time."

"Time for what, Kitty? Can't it wait 'til I get some sleep?"

"It's Maria sleepyhead! Kitty's in Dodge. You're in my house. Time to join Frank to witness your prisoner's hanging."

Matt jumped up. As quickly as he could he put on his boots and vest, pinned on his badge and buckled on his gun belt so he could race out the door toward the plaza where the execution would take place. In less than a block he slowed his pace. Why rush to watch Lyme hang even if he was a killer who would relish the tables being turned? He could see Frank exiting his jail with the prisoner. Matt joined them for Joe Lyme's final moments.

Turning his back on the scaffold as the hangman pulled the lever, Matt strode quickly away from the scene. Despite his nap, he already felt tired. However, it was still morning so he strolled to the stable, saddled his buckskin then mounted, riding for home at an easy lope. He nodded off a couple of times, nearly spilling from the saddle, but kept riding. When he finally came to a stop, as the sun set, at a likely camping spot he'd covered all but a quarter of the distance between Dodge and Hays.

After a supper of beans washed down with coffee, Matt fell asleep as if his saddle were a soft pillow and the ground Kitty's bed. When he awoke, following as good a night's sleep as was possible camped out on the prairie, the lawman was surprised to see how high the sun was in the sky. As a result, it was noon by the time he reached his office. Even so, he managed to get cleaned up fast enough to have dinner with her.

"Will I see you later for a nightcap?" Kitty asked when Matt stopped by at the start of his late rounds.

"Sorry, but I've got some paperwork I didn't get to this afternoon. I think I'll go to bed in the office whenever I finish. It'll be quite late."

When Chester came back from matching dimes with Moss at one o'clock he found his boss sound asleep on the cot. Knowing Matt had returned that day from Hays, the jailer didn't have the heart to wake him and so simply fell asleep on the most comfortable bed in one of the cells. He had the coffee boiling before Matt stirred.

"Mornin' Mr. Dillon. Yah think we might get some breakfast after you've had some coffee? I only had a chance for a light bite of eggs, ham, taters and specklety gravy."

"No, Chester. Maybe later. Why don't you see if Doc or Kitty is available? I'm not very hungry. I'm going to my room to get a bit more sleep. See yah later."

As it happened both Doc and Kitty were free. Something about what Chester told them made Doc want to check on his friend. He and Kitty left Chester to keep an eye on things at the empty jail while they walked over to Matt's room at Ma Smalley's only to find he'd obviously suffered a relapse thanks to his dedication to that badge of his. Doc was about to usher Kitty out the door while he examined his patient when Matt awoke briefly.

"So, you're finally awake! You must be pretty darn sick for Chester to notice and come get me."

"Doc, you know Chester. I shouldn't have told him I wasn't hungry for breakfast when he was ready to eat a second one."

"Matt, let's see if your fever's back. You weren't completely over one of the worst bouts of influenza I've seen when you left for Hays three days ago."

For the next few days Matt tossed and turned as his fever raged. He was mostly incoherent, but finally on the fifth day after his return from Hays he became aware of his surroundings.

"In your humble opinion, will I live?" Matt asked as soon as the thermometer was out of his mouth. "I've got paperwork to catch up on thanks to you and Kitty doing your best to keep me in my room."

"Yep, you'll live, but it's only because you have such a fine physician and a mostly reliable nurse. Kitty does a fine job when she follows my instructions, even if the patient tries his best to get around them and leave his room when he has a raging fever. The paperwork can wait a bit longer. I doubt Washington will mind."

Two days later Matt Dillon was again without a fever. He started to rise to dress and head for his office and the paperwork he still hadn't tackled, but felt two hands pressing down on him shoving him back onto his bed.

"Promise me you'll lie down on Chester's cot or in one of the cells when you feel tired and that you'll get some nourishing food in you. You're still not completely well yet so don't be surprised if you start violently coughing. If you're curious, it's called bronchitis. You're lucky it's not pneumonia."

"I promise to try to take it easy Doc, but no guarantees. I'm expecting the first herds in any day now, you know. Do you want to join me at Delmonico's? I believe I'm hungry."

"I ate hours ago with Chester. Kitty's probably the only one who slept as late as you this morning. If you're well enough to get to your office you're probably strong enough to make it to the Long Branch and Delmonico's."

Doc was right. Matt felt only mildly tired after accompanying Kitty from her place of business to the restaurant and back. Of course, his first meal of any significance since he got home surely helped, despite a violent bout of coughing. He even felt frisky enough to want to stay at the Long Branch. She was the one who sent him on his way claiming she had work of her own. He arrived just as Chester was putting the mail on his desk. The marshal in Dodge leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on his desk and began sifting through the latest wanted posters while sipping coffee from the cup his assistant handed him. Despite several coughing bouts, he managed not to choke on the coffee, a remarkable feat at times, even when completely healthy.


	3. Chapter 3 Two Women Arrive

Chapter 3 – April Fools Day

Matt was able to keep his word and take things easy since it was still too early for the increased workload the influx of strangers the cattle season brought to Dodge. Taking advantage of the free time that remained available he took Kitty fishing one unseasonably warm day that foreshadowed the spring weather to come. It also allowed him to grab a catnap or two on Chester's cot in the waning days of March knowing it wouldn't be long before he'd be lucky to catch a couple hours' sleep between breaking up fights and facing down drunks. Despite his efforts, he was still plagued with bouts of coughing and a painful pressure in his chest that, though dissipating, was taking far too long to disappear.

Tuesday was quiet until mid-afternoon when Hiram Landry pointed his shotgun at Mr. Jonas demanding the storekeeper extend him even more credit than he already had. Of course it never occurred to the nester that he could have paid off a good portion of his debt and maybe even have enough money left to buy the supplies needed to keep his house and farm going until the early crops were ready to harvest if he hadn't drunk it all up. He was visibly more than tipsy when Matt arrested him for disturbing the peace before anything more serious occurred. Hiram came along willingly enough. The trouble was he couldn't lock him up.

"Chester," Matt said as his assistant walked through the door. "What did you do with the keys?"

"I don't know what you mean, Mr. Dillon. They was on the peg as usual when I left to get the mail."

Matt was wondering if he'd have to let his prisoner go with just a warning when the door flew open like it had been hit by a sudden gust of wind and the missing keys blew in, landing on the table in the middle of an already set up checkerboard. He didn't dwell on the strangeness of it. Instead he told Chester to lock Hiram up for a couple of hours while he went to the Long Branch to relax over a beer with Kitty. The stack of mail Chester put on his desk could wait.

Kitty was by the bar talking with two young women he hadn't seen before. They looked enough alike to be sisters so he wasn't surprised when she introduced her new hires as Sally and Tilda Teasdale. She'd taken them on in preparation for the huge increase in business when the herds started arriving.

"How do," Matt said, tipping his hat to each in turn and surreptitiously giving them a closer look. "Have I met you two somewhere before?" he added.

"I doubt that Marshal," Sally replied. "Tilda's never been in Dodge City before and I was only here once on our way west before it could rightly be called a town. When our father died I went to work here while my sister continued on with grandpa to live at the crossroads closest to our cousin's ranch. We only had enough money for two of us to continue on and I was old enough to handle myself, but Tilda, though only a bit more than a year younger, wasn't. Besides, her traveling with grandpa was better than two girls traveling together."

Matt kept his doubts about Sally's explanation to himself as Sam handed each Teasdale sister a beer. These were for Jake Worth's two riders who'd just walked in, leaving him alone with Kitty.

"You're looking better than you have in weeks," Kitty teased as Matt sat down beside her after holding the chair out so she could take her seat first. "Let's say it explains the return of your stamina."

"Does it? Are you saying you've found me unsatisfactory in the recent past?"

"Oh, Cowboy. I didn't mean to hurt your pride. I'm just concerned is all. Is the cough better today? It still sounded quite harsh last night."

"Yeah. I only hope it's completely gone before things get busy," Matt added, creasing his brow.

"I know you too well. What's really bothering you?" Kitty asked as she took her first sip of beer.

"It's probably nothing, but what do you know about your new girls? When did they arrive? Where'd they come from?"

"Matt, why all the questions about Sally and Tilda? They came in on the stage from Tascosa last night where they've been working for the past three years. They may be closer to 30 than 20, but they're used to Texas cowboys and available. You're not usually this nosy about who I hire."

"I reckon it's what just happened. Someone taking the cell keys and then returning them by throwing them through the front door is probably Doc's attempt at an April fool joke. They landed in the checker game he'd set up. Still, I can't help feeling the Teasdale sisters spell trouble and I've met them before."

As usual Kitty had a way of relaxing him. Matt needed and wanted that feeling to continue so he asked her to be available by six. He'd decided Chester could handle the early evening rounds this first day of April 1873 while he and Kitty spent a rare evening out – just the two of them. Back in his office the marshal smiled as he, dressed in a white shirt, dark dress pants, newly polished good boots and what Kitty jokingly referred to since the day he bought it when he dared Creego to draw in Jonas' store as his courting coat, tied his string tie. Tonight he was taking his girl to supper at Delmonico's followed by a moonlit buggy ride out on the prairie.

For once Chester didn't interrupt the meal, but it was nearly spoiled anyhow. Someone had loosened the top of the saltshaker. Matt, who liked to flavor his meat with salt after years out on the trail, was the victim. Luckily, he liked his steak rare so it didn't take long to cook a new one. They finished their meal after only a slight delay and strolled down to the stable arm in arm as any gentleman with his lady would. To their surprise Moss hadn't hitched a horse to the rented buggy.

"Moss, what's going on here?" Matt demanded. "Why isn't the buggy ready?"

"Sorry, Marshal. I started to hitch up my best rental horse, but I noticed your buckskin was favoring his right front foot. He was about to throw a shoe. I stopped to nail it back on and checked his other shoes while I was at it. The other three were fine, but I reckon it took more time than I thought."

"Matt, let's go now," Kitty said as Matt started toward his buckskin's stall. "Buck is fine. Moss can hitch up my mare to the buggy," she added, joining her tall, dark and handsome date in the stall to stroke the gelding's nose and, surrepticiously, his rider.

Kitty rested her head against Matt's shoulder as they drove west out of town. Once they reached the little pond, he stopped their conveyance. The lovers cuddled, starring out over the moonlit water for only a moment or two before turning their attention to each other. It was Matt who called a halt to what would otherwise naturally occur.

"Honey, somebody might come by and see us. Besides, I still have my late rounds."

"That badge again! Can't you ever stop thinking about it? However, you do have a point on such a beautiful night. We can head back to town if you promise to take up where we left off later tonight."

"You have my word," Matt replied with a grin as he turned their buggy back toward home.

Matt drove slowly, savoring their time alone until the stable was almost in sight. Abruptly, both buggy wheels fell off. Somehow, possibly due to the slow pace, neither fell out. Kitty clung tightly to him while Matt braced his feet against the front so he could use all his strength to control the panicked horse. After what seemed like hours, but was no more than a couple of minutes, he managed to calm the mare and his unexpected fit of violent coughing enough to allow him to get out of the now amazingly upright yet flat on the ground buggy and help Kitty out as well. Then he unhitched the horse.

They managed to get Kitty's mare back to Moss without Matt enduring another coughing bout, but his side was far sorer than he wanted her to know. He hoped it eased by the time he finished his rounds.

"I don't mean to pry, but where's my buggy? What happened to it?"

"Sorry Moss. It seems the wheels came off about 100 yards back. I'll send Chester over to help you put them back on tonight if you like."

"No, it'll keep 'til morning. I can see better then, anyhow."

After walking Kitty back to the Long Branch, Matt began his late rounds. He rattled all the doorknobs on the closed businesses and peeked into the shadows in all the alleys and into all of the saloons and other open establishments. Finally, after stopping at his office to make sure Chester was set for the night, he completed his circle and returned to the Long Branch. It was relatively early, but there were few customers, so Kitty had told her partner Bill Pence she'd lock up. By the time Matt returned for his nightcap, the saloon's co-owner was home with his pregnant bride Laura and the Teasdale sisters were presumably upstairs behind the locked doors of their rooms. Kitty's eyes were all over him as he came toward her, but she held her tongue about his health until they were comfortably in her rooms.

"Matt, one of us didn't fare so well when the buggy fell apart. How badly are you hurt?"

"It's nothing," he said wincing in pain when he hugged Kitty as they snuggled into bed. "I must have pulled a muscle."

"I'll be gentle tonight, but only if you promise to see Doc in the morning."


	4. Chapter 4 The First of the Herds

AN: Guest, you're quite right about the Teasdale sisters' ages. My internal backstory puts them at 31 &amp; 32 when this story takes place. In answer to your question, there will be 10 chapters.

Chapter 4 – The First of the Herds

The next five days were without incident. Maybe what happened on Tuesday was merely an escalating series of April Fools practical jokes that almost ended in one or both of them being seriously hurt. Somehow neither Matt nor Kitty believed no harm was intended. If they'd been traveling faster than a slow walk and Buck had been the horse instead of Kitty's mare the two of them and the big buckskin could have been lying seriously injured out on the prairie at least until the next morning.

Finding who was responsible for the buggy mishap wasn't the only thing bothering Matt. He still couldn't put his finger on exactly why the Teasdale sisters seemed familiar. Every time he thought of the sisters and the series of incidents on the first of the month the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Somehow he'd figure out how it was all connected. He hoped it wouldn't be too late. Matt pushed that thought to the back of his mind as he watched the first of the Texas herds being driven toward the stockyards by the Santa Fe depot.

With his long strides the tall lawman arrived at the stockyards just as the first few head were herded into the holding pen. His sharp eyes picked out the trail boss. Matt watched the proceedings until the last of the 500 head of cattle were secured before approaching the muscular man with the deep tan of a man who spent nearly all of his approximately 45 years outdoors. The trail boss was a shade over six feet and the brown hair spilling over his collar and from under the brim of his Stetson was thick without a speck of gray. Matt stuck out his right hand, which was firmly gripped in response.

"Name's Matt Dillon. I'm the marshal here. You're at least two weeks early or I would have met up with you south of the river to lay out the rules."

"I'm Curt Dryden, trail boss. The weather's been mild so we began the 900-mile drive from the Circle T down Laredo way in mid-January and made pretty good time. Ted Thompkins, the owner, is a smart man and not just 'cause he hired me as foreman. It was his idea to bring two herds north over the season when the weather and Farmers' Almanac allow. He even wired ahead to prospective buyers, including the two that live here, so they'd all be available within a few days of when we arrived. I'll walk along with you for my first view of Dodge while you tell me your rules. It'll be good to stretch these old legs."

Matt considered himself a good judge of character. Dryden seemed to him to be a good man who would do his best to keep the 15 cowboys under him in line. That belief did nothing to change the fact that by the time Chester finished tacking up the posters Mr. Hightower printed listing what was prohibited he'd only have time for a quick supper between his early and late rounds and a short stop by the Long Branch for a beer and an apology he hoped would be accepted. The drovers from the Circle T had spoiled the leisurely supper and sharing of a bottle of rye with Kitty he'd originally planned.

Meanwhile the Circle T foreman and trail boss smiled as he strolled back to the stockyards to give his drovers their work schedule and code of behavior while they remained in Dodge City. The lawman's rules seemed easy enough to follow – No shooting off firearms in town; No riding horses on the Boardwalk or in the saloons; No pestering women and children on the street; No fighting in public areas and No destruction of property. He reckoned only three, working in three-hour rotating shifts, would be needed to keep an eye on the herd until it was sold, giving all of them had plenty of time to shake off the effects of the long trail. To Curt Dryden's way of thinking, he'd earned the right to be in the first group. Therefore, he sought out the two men who'd been with him on his first drive as trail boss to join him in seeing what the town had to offer. Bud Peevy was still trail cook and now the cook for the Circle T, but Tom Conway, his ramrod, had been a gangling lad of 16 on his first drive back in '62.

Dryden's mind circled back to that first trip with the two men who'd become, along with the man who'd since become their boss, his closest friends. Tom, like he and Bud, hired on permanent and soon after married Ted's sister Millie, even though she was a couple of years older than him. This drive for one rancher was far easier than that wartime one to Abilene past hostile Indians and Federal and Confederate units that desperately needed recruits as much as the combined small ranchers around Laredo needed to turn Texas longhorns into the currency that would keep them afloat to stand their ground against the area's largest rancher. Even now he knew of nobody meaner than Decker and his three sons Will, Walt &amp; Jeff.

While, as they walked along, Dillon pointed out pointed Dodge City landmarks, Dryden couldn't help but notice the name Russell as co-owner of the Long Branch, the saloon the lawman named the best. On that first drive Peevy had an assistant they left in Abilene, Kit Reynolds, who turned out to be a 15-year-old red-haired girl running away from a life of forced prostitution at the Alhambra Saloon. He and Peevy made enquiries on subsequent trips. The most they could learn was a girl by the name of Kitty Russell or Red Reynolds, who met her description, worked at the Oasis, but on much more favorable terms. She actually got paid and could refuse to be seen by certain of the saloon's customers. She'd left in '66 for points west.

"What can I get for you gents?" the beautiful redheaded woman behind the bar asked without looking up.

"We'll take a bottle of your best bar whiskey and four glasses, Kit, " Dryden stated, hoping this was the same girl grown up.

Upon hearing that name Kitty looked up at the man doing the ordering and asked, "Why did you call me that?"

"Just playing a hunch that you were once a skinny little gal desperate enough to get away from the Alhambra saloon in Laredo to deck herself out as a boy anxious to learn how to be a trail cook. If you're that gal, you'll recognize the names Curt Dryden, Bud Peevy and Tom Conway. Don't take this as anything but respectful when I say nobody would take you for a bashful boy no matter how you dressed."

"I take it the fourth glass is for me," she replied recognizing the man and his two companions. "Why don't we take the table in the corner by the stairs? There's a lot for us to talk about."

Kitty was deep in conversation with her old friends when Matt arrived for his beer. She sensed his arrival and motioned for him to join them, making the introductions as soon as he reached the table.

"I've met Dryden. How'd you come to know them, Kitty?"

"They helped me run away from Laredo to Abilene. You can thank Bud here for teaching me how to cook for cowboys."

Matt finished his beer while listening to the tale of the young girl disguised as a boy without any of the drovers learning the truth except Curt and Bud. Tom, who was closest in age to her, didn't learn the boy he paled around with was a girl until now.

"See yah later," Matt said as he rose to make his rounds, relieved that Kitty wasn't too disappointed he couldn't keep their supper date or so he hoped.

Matt was so preoccupied with this new revelation he failed to notice Sally and Tilda looking over at the table he'd just left. He didn't even pay attention to which of the Circle T drovers they were drinking with.


	5. Chapter 5 Catching Up

Chapter 5 – Further Incidents

The Teasdale sisters were anything but unobservant. They discerned a connection existed between their new boss and the Circle T trail boss, ramrod and cook, but not what it was. All the drovers they sweet-talked seemed to know was that the Texans had been together since the war and the youngest wasn't just a hired hand even if he seemingly worked under their boss Curt Dryden. Laredo area rancher Ted Thompkins, the owner of the herd, hired all three, but Tom Conway was his son-in-law.

"It's been nice jawin' with you gals but we got to get back to work," one of the drovers they were with drawled. "We'll be back when we don't have to worry about keepin' an eye on the herd."

The two cowboys gave the girls a quick hug before heading out the saloon's batwing doors for a quick meal before work. Sally and Tilda looked about. Marshal Dillon was leaving the only occupied table, the one next to the stairs where Kitty Russell still sat chatting congenially with the same three Circle T men, on his way out of the saloon. When Kitty's soon to be former partner entered to spend the late afternoon tending bar until the new man Sam took over the two women saw their chance.

"Bill, can we take a slightly longer break starting now?" Sally asked. "We'll be back in plenty of time for whatever evening crowd there is," her sister Tilda added.

"Go on. Kitty and I can handle things until you get back when Sam starts his shift."

Kitty looked over at her partner just as the sisters exited. She motioned him over to the back table.

"Bill, I'd like you to meet some friends of mine from when I was working in Laredo. Can you handle things while we go over to Delmonico's for an early supper?"

"Sure Kitty," Bill Pence replied as he shook hands with the three Texans sitting at his partner's table. "We've only the one herd and it's Sunday so I'll be fine."

"I'll be back in time for you to enjoy your own late supper with Laura."

The restaurant, except for a couple of tables filled with Circle T riders, each with a Teasdale for the trail weary men to fawn over, was empty. Kitty, on Bud Peevy's arm, led her own male companions to a table about dead center. Bud pulled out a chair for her so she could be comfortably seated before they took their own seats. The conversation that began in the Long Branch resumed as if there was never a break once the waiter took their order.

"Kit, I mean Miss Kitty, for the life of me I don't know how you fooled me back in '62," the still amazed Tom Conway offered. "We spent almost as much time together as you spent with Bud, yet I never suspected you were anything but a shy guy. I just can't get over it. My Millie and Ted and his Cordy would love to know what happened to the girl they tried to help."

"Ted will be glad to learn how well you're doing. You know he asks if we've ever crossed paths with you. Until now there was nothing we could tell him, Kitty. When we get back home I'd like to let him know that the skinny, abused, scared yet determined girl he knew has become a beautiful, successful woman in Dodge City," Curt stated as if he felt he needed her permission to do it.

"Curt, I'd rather you left things with Ted just as they are. The fewer people in Laredo who know exactly where I am the better."

"All right, if that's the way you feel. "Bud and I have kept your secret all these years. I'm sure Tom can keep it as well."

"Then, I have your word of honor?" Kitty asked and all three nodded.

Kitty and her friends turned their attention back to their meal. They failed to notice the shift change as two groups of three Circle T drovers switched places with the two groups that were eating when the reunited friends entered the restaurant. The resulting rush of activity allowed Sally and Tilda to quietly leave.

Gradually the restaurant began to fill as the worthy citizens of Dodge and nearby folks remaining in town for supplies after attending church that morning sought to fill their bellies and prolong their Sabbath. Among those entering was Matt Dillon's assistant Chester Goode, who came right to their table.

"Hello, Miss Kitty. I'm just here to get my and Mr. Dillon's supper. Don't mind me. I can see you're busy."

"Chester, why don't you join us while you wait? I don't believe you've met some old friends of mine from Laredo yet."

"Thank you, Miss Kitty," the jailer replied as he pulled an empty chair from a nearby table and sat down between Kitty and Curt while motioning the waiter over.

Almost as soon as the introductions were complete so was the meal for Kitty and her companions. While the four original occupants ate their dessert Chester devoured a plate of that night's special, antelope stew. Everyone was taking a last sip of coffee when the waiter brought over two trays with the steak dinners with all the trimmings the jailer ordered for his boss and himself. The owner of the Long Branch smiled as the lanky man fumbled in his pockets for the coins to pay for all he'd requested.

"What you ate here is on me. I did ask you to join us after all."

A relieved Chester thanked Kitty and than exchanged the money Matt had given him for the two trays. She and her friends paid for their meals and left with Chester, splitting into two groups on the boardwalk. Bud escorted Kitty to her place of business while Curt and Tom walked along with Chester toward the jailhouse before turning toward the stockyards. Since a single paper wrapped rock hitting a dirt street makes only a soft thud, the larger group was unaware of the missile that glanced off Kitty's hat.

"Miss Kitty, are you okay?" Peevy asked as he looked around to see what it was and spotted the small stone with the paper still around it.

"I'm fine, Bud. I'm just glad it didn't come any closer. What's it say?"

"Texas haunts you. The reason is here," he read. "I'm sorry if seeing you again brought you trouble. Do you want me to report it?"

"No. I'll mention it to Matt when I see him. I'm sure it has nothing to do with you. Matt and I were the victims of some practical jokes. Maybe it's the same person who had so much fun on April first he wanted to see what would entertain him on other firsts like the first Sunday in the month."

Peevy let the matter drop, but kept his eye on the now grownup redhead until near closing time. He didn't want her to be angry so he kept his distance, even leaving the saloon to check out the other drinking establishments. However, he made sure she had people around he felt could be trusted like the marshal's assistant, her partner and the new barkeep. Bud sensed Sam Noonan cared as much about her as he did. He even spent time with Sally, a girl closer to his age than those girls of not quite 20 hired by saloons and dancehalls to entice the youngsters and unscrupulous older hands coming up the trail.

Somewhere around midnight the marshal stopped by on his final rounds. Bud saw him talk to the woman he still thought of as the vulnerable 15-year-old Kit who needed his protection from the men who'd exploit her. He knew that wasn't true anymore, but even so perhaps what he'd been told was right. Maybe the lawman, despite appearances, was one of those. He was sure big enough for her to be no match for him. Then again, perhaps it was just gossip spread by those who were jealous or simply had a grudge against the law and the man who represented it in Dodge City.

Sam was stacking chairs on tables when the Circle T trail cook stepped through the batwing doors and crossed the street to the Dodge House. When he turned to close the front door of the hotel he noticed out of the corner of his eye the marshal enter the saloon for a second time. However, he didn't have time to reflect on it because Curt greeted him.

"Hope your evening was uneventful. After Tom and I left Chester off at the jail and approached the stockyards a small rock flew between us. It brushed my hat so I was curious enough to look to see where it fell. There was a note wrapped around it that read, "You're not the only ones who left Texas. Some are living here and one of those is in danger." However, we needed to check the herd first. It's probably just someone's idea of a joke."

"Someone threw a rock with a similar note past me and Miss Kitty. She told me it might be the same person who was playing April Fools jokes on her and the marshal. It's probably nothing, but I'm not sure the law can do anything about it anyhow."

"Tom will watch the herd tonight. You and I might as well get some sleep. The Chicago slaughterhouse man is expected on the morning train. He'll join the two local buyers Kyle Terry and Enoch Miller at the stockyards to talk price as soon as he checks into his room. I'm sure nothing will happen before then, if anything happens at all."


	6. Chapter 6 A Matt and Kitty Interlude

AN: Thank you to all those guests I couldn't thank personally. Your insights are quite perceptive.

Chapter 6 – A Matt and Kitty Interlude

Matt entered the Long Branch from an empty Front Street anticipating nothing more than a chance to relax until morning. Barring an emergency he was free to spend the night with his redhead. The saloon was nearly closed. All that was left was putting the night's take in the office safe and locking the doors.

"Sam, go home through the back after you lock the front door. The marshal will be with me when I put the money in the office safe. I'll relock the back door later."

The tall, craggy faced bartender, who Kitty hired six months earlier in her first act as soon to be sole owner, smiled at how his boss had phrased that. He knew the big lawman would spend the night. He'd expected to be fired when he accidently caught the marshal letting himself into her rooms after she went upstairs to get off her feet the night before Joe Lyme robbed the bank. Sam wasn't sure he was spotted but fessed up to Miss Kitty the next time he saw her alone.

"Sam Noonan, you just proved to me I was right to hire you. You've already shown you can handle unruly drunks as well as I thought you would. Now, instead of blabbing about what you witnessed all over town or simply pretending you didn't see what was meant to be private, you've proven you're both honest and discrete. I'm not gonna fire you. I'm gonna promote you to head barkeep."

Sam, thinking of that day nearly a month ago, smiled to himself as he watched Miss Kitty and her man enter her office together and close the door in the split second before he closed the back door to lock it. He knew it would more likely be the marshal who opened and relocked that door when he left at dawn for his morning rounds rather than Miss Kitty tonight.

In her office Matt Dillon bent forward to put his arms around Kitty Russell and draw her to him just as she stood up from closing and locking the safe until she or Bill Pence took the night's take to the bank in the morning. He turned her in his arms so that their lips met in a long kiss while his hands moved up and down her back. Kitty's lips opened in response but when they came up for air she pulled away.

"What's wrong Kitty?" he asked fearing he'd done something to upset her.

"I think our practical joker is back. I'm probably being silly. It was just a note…. Wrapped around a rock that glanced off my hat. It didn't cause any real harm and the message was meaningless. It said something like, the reason Texas haunts you is here."

"You sure you're okay?" Matt added trying not to show the sudden stab of fear he felt.

"Yeah, my hats can take a lot of punishment. They have to stand up to all this dust and sun. I'm sorry I mentioned it. I'm ready to go upstairs where we both can be more comfortable. You coming?"

"I'll join you directly."

Matt checked behind every barrel and keg to make sure nobody was lurking within the building. He rattled every door on the lower levels to ensure they were locked. Satisfied, he exited through the back door, locked it with the key Kitty had given him before she left him, instinctively knowing the reason for his delay in joining her upstairs, and checked the basement entrance before climbing the exterior back stairs to let himself in with his key. He tensed before each door, listening intently, but didn't try any of them. Only the four corner rooms included attached washrooms. The remaining six were smaller, utilitarian spaces designed for temporary occupancy. The girls assigned to them lived elsewhere and only kept work clothes in the tiny wardrobe. Only the temporary hires for the cattle season when rooms were scarce actually lived in them. Those girls made do with a water pitcher for daily washing and arranged to use one of the permanent hire's washrooms to bathe and wash their hair. He knew, even this early in the year, two of those six rooms were occupied by Kitty's newest hires, Sally and Tilda Teasdale, and had no intention of letting them know he was heading toward their boss' rooms after closing.

Finally, he reached and let himself into the rooms he spent more nights in than either his own rented room with a private entrance at Ma Smalley's or his office. Kitty sat by her vanity dressed only in a sheer negligee and watched Matt in the mirror.

"It took you long enough. Bring over the brandy I poured."

He didn't act on her purred demand immediately. Instead he removed his hat and gun belt and hung them on the peg by the door, which he locked before moving toward the round table where two glasses of brandy sat on either side of a decanter. Taking one glass in each hand, the now grinning man sauntered over to his beautiful redhead, set the glasses down on the left and right sides of what she'd told him was a vanity and used the opportunity to enfold his arms around her and bend down to kiss the nape of her neck.

"I should make up for lost time," he murmured knowing she could see his mischievous smile and sparkling blue puppy dog eyes in the mirror. "Here's your brandy ma'am. I'll just mosey over to the bed to get ready for what follows."

Kitty laughed as Matt released her from his embrace, turned and walked to the bedroom area where he hung his vest on a nearby chair before sitting on the bed to remove his boots. By the time she stood to join him his shirt and pants were with his vest on the chair. When she reached their bed, carrying the two glasses, he was clad only in his union suit bottoms and was leaning against the brass headboard watching her approach. She handed him both snifters before snuggling up next to him, running her hand against his bare chest before claiming a brandy for herself.

"Is all of Dodge safe and secure?"

"I don't know about all of Dodge. My final rounds only included this building. It's secure, but you'll have to decide if it's safe," he said placing his drink on the nightstand and turning down the lamp.

"That all depends on what you have in mind, Cowboy," she responded taking a sip of the amber liquid before placing the glass on her own nightstand and turning back toward him.

Kitty reached around Matt's broad muscular chest for better leverage as well as the erotic sensation rubbing against him provided as she moved her body for the best position for a long passionate kiss. Instead of the expected response, he involuntarily winced.

"Oh Matt, I'm sorry. I forgot about that pulled muscle on your left side. Have you at least stopped coughing?"

"Yeah, pretty much," he replied as a short, shallow coughing fit hit him. "That's the first I've coughed in a while."

"How long's a while? I know you coughed before you left this morning."

"Is that a fact?"

"Yeah, that's a fact. Did you cough since then?"

"I can't keep anything from you. I coughed some between then and now, maybe twice, but not like a week ago."

"Time to listen to your nurse. Drink the medicine I poured. Then we'll proceed with the rest of your treatment."

Matt awoke as the worst coughing he'd experienced in the last three days hit him. It was still dark, but dawn wasn't more than an hour off. As he shook off sleep he realized the air in the room was colder, smokier and fouler smelling than it should be. He padded toward the window to investigate without waking his companion for the moment and yelped as his bare foot touched a hard, spherical warm object. Before he could take another step something with a burning fuse attached flew into the room, giving off obnoxious sulfur fumes along with a great deal of smoke. It was a second stink bomb disguised as the firecracker known as a global salute and caused the worst coughing fit he'd had since the buggy broke down 100 yards from Moss' stable to end their first of April romantic evening.

Somehow between gut wrenching hacking coughs he managed to pull his clothes on glad to see the sleeping redhead who'd been lying beside him all night begin to stir. He'd have to get her up if only because the room had become uninhabitable.

"Matt, what's going on?" she gasped between her own raspy coughs. "Is the Long Branch on fire?"

"No. It's firecrackers. Get dressed while I go down the backstairs and meet you out front as if it is a fire," he explained as his eyes watered from the smoke yet became accustomed to the gloom enough for him to see his boots and find his way to the door where his hat and gun belt still hung on a peg. He hoped all the trouble was coming through the now broken window and not from within the building.

Nobody was in the room with them. The door was as he'd left it – locked. As quietly as he could Matt made his way out of Kitty's rooms and down the hallway to the back stairs, listening for any sound. He stopped to unlock and then lock the backdoor before descending them before racing down the back alleys toward his office as if he were making his way down Front Street on his morning rounds. The stench from the bombs was apparent at street level where he stood in front of the saloon pounding on the door Kitty opened on his third hard set of raps.

"Kitty, are you alright? Is anybody still upstairs?" he added as if he actually was coming from his office.

"I'm fine, Matt. My throat's a little sore from all the smoke that's all," she added as the Teasdale sisters came through the door behind her wrapped in robes.

"Our rooms weren't affected, Marshal and we're the only ones who slept here last night besides Kitty," Sally provided in answer to his unspoken question.

"You girls stay out here by the door until I get Kitty over to Doc. I don't want anyone inside until I've checked it out," he said closing the glass doors behind him and locking them with the key Kitty handed him."

As the couple walked the short distance to the stairs leading to Doc's office Matt put a protective arm at the small of Kitty's back. However, he didn't say a word to her about his thoughts until after Doc began his examination of both of them. This was partially the fault of another coughing fit, but mostly to be sure the three of them were alone. As it turned out, Kitty spoke first.

"I didn't want to say it in front of Sally and Tilda but burning paper was stuck under the door while I was getting dressed after you left. I was able to stomp it out before it did any damage."

"Kitty, how many people have keys to the Long Branch?" Matt asked between coughs while Doc listened to his lungs.

"I've got keys to every door as do Bill and Laura, except only I have them for my and the girls' rooms. Sam, since I promoted him to head barkeep, has keys to the front, back and cellar doors. Olive, Trudy and now Sally and Tilda have keys to their own rooms and the door at the top of the outside stairs. Laura gave her key to her and Bill's old rooms at the back to the Teasdale sisters so they can use the tub. You have a key to that same back door and are the only other person with a key to my rooms. Oh, Olive and Trudy are visiting relatives and won't be back for another week."

"What about the girls you take on for the season? Do they return their keys when they leave in September?"

"Mostly, but not always. Why?"

"All the mishaps are a warning. The minor ones were just to throw me off. Somebody doesn't want you to be sole owner of the Long Branch and the possibilities include Sam Noonan. Too many people have keys or access to them to narrow it down yet."

"You can take one name off your list, Sam! That holds if the target's you. It's not in his character and you know I'm a mighty good judge of character!"

"You seem sure about him. Do you know if he's ever lived in Texas?"

"Plenty of people in Dodge have lived in Texas – you, me, Chester, the Circle T riders. Need I go on? Fact is, Sally and Tilda Teasdale lived there and you know it!"

"Kitty, don't get mad now! I'm only trying to do my best to protect you!"

"Protect me! I'm quite capable of protecting myself Matt Dillon!"

"Kit, I know you are, but protecting you and everyone else in this town is my job. When you think about it, all this started just about the time you promoted Sam."

Doc pulled on his ear and stroked his mustache as he watched his two favorite people argue as if he weren't there. He grabbed Kitty's arm just as she was about to throw the heavy medical book she'd taken off his desk at Matt who was momentarily incapacitated by another coughing fit.

"Kitty, pour some whiskey into one of my coffee mugs for Matt. As for you, Mr. Marshal, drink it down before you pull another muscle. That last one hasn't completely healed!"

Doc's interference calmed the furious redhead down enough that she did as he asked and handed her coughing lover a full mug of whiskey. He took large gulps between hacks, finally stopping the bout altogether when he drained the mug.

"Bronchitis takes a long time to get out of your system even when a patient listens to his doctor. But you had to go and breathe in sulfur fumes on top of being a stubborn fool trying to do too much too soon."

"Matt, I'm sorry. I forgot you're sick. I'm still angry with you for being so wrong about Sam, though. It's more likely the Teasdales are behind all this with maybe some help from the Circle T boys they've been buttering up."

"Why do you say that? Those two were last in Tascosa."

"Now you're getting it Cowboy," Kitty declared before Matt could point out they didn't come from Laredo. "I hired them right out of Texas. I wasn't gonna tell you why I promoted Sam, but I'll have to now. He saw you going into my rooms. He didn't have to, but he told me about it; then gave his word to protect our secret."

"If you two are ready to be civil with each other, what do you say to breakfast at Delmonico's?"

In reply, Matt took Kitty by the elbow and escorted her toward the door with a "You buyin', Doc?"


	7. Chapter 7 Bud Peevy Plays His Part

Chapter 7 – Bud Peevy Plays His Part

Dryden and Conway were showing off the herd to the three prospective buyers. Within days of the cattle being sold the entire outfit would drift back to Laredo with what remained of their pay. All except one of the men who rode with the longhorns up the trail with their trail boss and his ramrod were enjoying their leisure. Only Bud Peevy, cook for the Circle T riders, was completely at loose ends. He was worried about his one-time assistant, now a successful young businesswoman, and so decided to spend his free time watching over this grown-up version of his Kit.

Feeling lonely and too hungry to wait for his friends to join him for dinner, Bud made his way to the Long Branch. A sandwich made from the fixings supplied for the free lunch and a beer would go down good. Who knows, short of finding the redhead, he might even find someone to talk to who could help him sort things out. He found that someone in the Teasdale sisters, Sally and Tilda.

"Did you come here looking for Miss Kitty?" Sally asked him. "She ain't here right now, but we'll keep you company," she cooed when he nodded and called to the barkeep for a bottle and three glasses.

"We couldn't help but notice last night that you know our boss," Tilda added. "You'd want to help her if she was in trouble, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would, just like I done in the past."

"We ain't been in Dodge long. We came up from Texas just like you, but working here we notice things. Sally and I think the marshal doesn't like how successful she's become. You're an experienced man. You know what I mean."

"Anyway," Sally continued, "we think he's paid some of the boys you cooked for on the trail to scare her and if that doesn't work, harm her. Did you hear about what happened in her rooms last night?"

When Bud shook his head in response, Tilda took over. "That so-called lawman pretended he was concerned and took her over to Doc Adams, but we believe he's the one who threw those smelly things through her window before dawn. You can see the broken window clear as day."

Troubled by what they told him, Bud thanked the sisters and stood to go, paying for the entire bottle with the gold piece he tossed on their table. Without a word he raced through the batwing doors in search of the woman he still thought of as the desperate young girl, Kit. Not knowing quite where to begin he took a minute to gaze at the obviously broken upstairs corner window. Dillon wasn't anywhere in sight when those rocks were thrown so maybe he's behind everything, Peevy thought before he moved on, hoping to find someone who might know something.

The cook hadn't gone far when he spotted the marshal's assistant and friend Chester Goode playing horseshoes at the mouth of an alley not far from the jailhouse and Kitty not far away crossing Front Street. Chester, with his hopping gait, walked toward her as if he had an important message for her. They met on the street in front of the alley, about ten feet to the left, directly in front of the milliner. Then, as Bud stood on the far side of the street opposite the alley, a man in his late teens to early-20s came forward from the rear of the alley and hurled a horseshoe well past and to the left of the peg anchored to the street side of the game as Kitty approached with Chester on her right. It struck a glancing blow to her left shoulder. Had his aim been better she would have been seriously hurt if not killed. Bud instantly recognized the other horseshoe player as the youngster Dryden hired when they stopped for supplies in Tascosa. The boy was money hungry so he'd be willing to take what Dillon must have paid him. He reckoned the lawman gave Chester instructions to be where he was while the temporary Circle T man did the actual deed.

Bud followed Dillon's friend as he escorted Kitty to the town doctor's office, but stopped at the bottom of the stairs. He hadn't met the physician yet but nobody he'd spoken with had a bad word to say about him when it came to medicine. Still, he wondered what the little old man would do if forced to choose between his friends Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell. For now he'd sit where he could watch for her to emerge now that Chester left to make his way back to the jailhouse.

He'd barely sat down in one of the chairs in front of the Dodge House when Dillon strode purposefully down the boardwalk toward Doctor Adams office. It wasn't long before the lawman was escorting Kitty down the doctor's stairs and along Front Street. Peevy stood up to follow as soon as the couple reached the door to the general store.

"Mr. Jonas, I need to order a new pane of glass for one of my windows. You've probably heard by now about the stink bombs thrown through it."

"Yes I have, Miss Kitty and I'm so sorry to hear it. I'll order the glass for you, but it won't arrive for another month I suspect."

"Then could you sell me a board I could cut down to cover it up, Jonas? She needs to block the wind on cold nights," Matt added.

"Matt, you're not buying any wood. It's my rooms and I'll pay for any boarding up of my window. Blocking out the cold is all I need from you."

Bud, pretending an interest in some of the pots and pans the proprietor had for sale, listened for undercurrents in the exchange, but could find none other than the marshal looking for an excuse to be with the redhead in her rooms. However, he didn't dare follow the lawman and the saloon owner there. Instead, after they left he sauntered back to his seat in front of the hotel and watched as pieces of wood were affixed to the interior window frame. An hour later the marshal emerged alone.

The man he suspected of being up to no good at least where Kitty Russell was concerned had only walked a few feet in the direction of his office when Curt and Tom made their way down the boardwalk toward the bank with the cattle buyer from Chicago to finalize the sale of the herd. By tomorrow most of the boys would have frittered their pay away on drink, dance hall girls and gambling. They'd be ready to head home to Texas Wednesday morning, three days after arriving. Bud Peevy wondered if he and his two closest friends would lease as well or stay to help Kit.

Curt Dryden and Tom Conway looked satisfied when they left the bank and joined their friend. The trail boss didn't waste any time.

"Half the boys are already with the herd. Let's round up the others between us so I can pay what I still owe them. Ted will be pleased to learn we cleared $3,000 and can expect at least double that profit when we return in August. Let's celebrate with Kit tonight."

Cowboys are no different from any other man trying to earn a living. They have a way of being found when someone's ready to put hard earned pay into their hands. It didn't take long for them to line up next to the corral in the stockyard as Curt Dryden dispensed wages from a tin lockbox Bud kept in the chuck wagon during the drive. Once they arrived in Dodge the box was transferred to the Dodge House safe until needed.

Even though it didn't take much time Bud grew nervous about what might have happened to the still young saloonkeeper. As soon as everyone was paid and the lockbox was back in the hotel safe, the cook drew the trail boss and Circle T foreman toward the lobby chairs set in a quiet corner.

"The boys will be makin' their way back to Laredo except for that last one we hired. Do you think Ted would mind if we stayed behind a few days to set things right for Kit?"

"You've noticed it too?" Curt asked his old friend. "Tom, you feel the same?"

"Yeah, I'd say someone's out to get her. We need to put a stop to it, but for the life of me I don't know how. What's the latest?"

"I know about the stink bombs through the window," Curt told them. "The mercantile owner couldn't stop talking about it when I went in there to arrange for supplies for the trip home. It seems to me the marshal wasn't far away for most of the attempts. Do either of you know of anything that's happened today?"

"Our new man, Clyde Billings, threw a mighty strange game of horseshoes not an hour ago," Bud replied. "You ever seen a man miss his target by so much that he hit someone walkin' by on the street? That's what that fella done. Hit Kit on the shoulder. I think Dillon's behind it. He's been in that same part of Texas too, I learned. Maybe he don't want her to be sole owner of the Long Branch because she'll be too independent."

"I never thought about that," Tom added. "I heard Dillon was in Texas before and after the war. Maybe he sampled her charms and wants to keep control of her, but if he can't scare her enough, he's willing to let her die."

"I'm not sure either of you are right about him, but I do know Dillon will be at the center of it. What we need to know is his part in it," Curt reasoned as he stood for his friends to follow.

The conversation over, the three Circle T men watched from the Dodge House doorway as the two people at the heart of the strange cycle of events exited the Long Branch in the direction of Delmonico's. The couple was deep in conversation, Matt's hand resting possessively against the small of Kitty's back as they stepped down into the dirt from the boardwalk to cross Front Street.


	8. Chapter 8 Some Answers at Last

Chapter 8 – Some Answers at Last

Matt Dillon the lawman noticed Kitty's three friends from her time in Texas watching as Matt the man escorted her from the Long Branch and down Front Street. It set him to thinking about just what those notes about Texas meant. Somehow understanding them was the key to this whole mess. He just didn't know what they signified or who the target was - him, Kitty, or both of them. They were barely past the saloon's batwing doors when he paused.

Some instinct told him they were in danger if they didn't move quickly. He knew better than to ignore the feeling and so acted on it without thinking. Moving the hand he'd placed at the small of her back ever so slightly he pushed Kitty away while simultaneously jumping in the opposite direction just before two bricks fell from the Long Branch balcony. Immediately after the projectiles hit the Front Street dirt Matt was at her side, simultaneously helping her up, asking if she was all right and apologizing for shoving her.

"I believe the marshal in this town needs to hear your thoughts on what just happened. Do you care to discuss it with him over dinner and a drink?" a relieved Matt joked when he saw her smile.

"Let's make it drinks first, then dinner. If you behave yourself I may even buy you one. I'm sure the marshal would appreciate that," she added turning back toward the saloon entrance without waiting for his reply.

Matt stooped to pick up the two bricks, but not before scanning the balcony for any sign of the person who hurled them. Absentmindedly he carried them inside with him, placing them on their table in the back as Kitty came toward it with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses on a tray. Matt took the tray from her, placing it on the table before pulling out a chair for her to sit down. He sat in the one next to it that offered a clear view of the entire room. His blue eyes didn't miss the trio that had been sitting in front of the Dodge House entering or that the Teasdale sisters wasted no time joining them.

"Matt, do you have any idea who's behind all these pranks?"

"Not yet, Kitty. All I know is Texas is the key and our newest Texans are together at that far table."

"The Teasdale sisters are doing what I hired them to do. Bud, Curt and Tom got here after the pranks began. They can't have anything to do with them."

"I'm not so sure about that. There's something very familiar about Sally Teasdale and a lot could have changed since those three last saw you. You were a child."

"That's right, I was a girl disguised as a boy running away from an abusive home I was forced to live in - far from everyone and everything I loved. They kept my secret then and are willing to keep it now. I owe them my life."

"That's what bothers me. Now that you're grown up maybe they want it back and the Teasdales are helping them. You only have their word they accidently found you here."

"Matt Dillon that badge is making you see evil conspiracy everywhere. They were good men then and are good men now. People don't change that drastically unless their entire world's been torn apart. Even then most men don't alter their fundamental nature."

"Maybe the badge keeps me from trusting people, but being wary keeps me and the people I care about alive."

Kitty decided it was prudent to change the subject. She skillfully steered their conversation to the coming cattle season. At the height of it both would be so busy they'd see very little of each other – a situation neither liked. Still it was far better than when he was out after some outlaw or testifying at a trial in a distant town. Then, Kitty reflected, she was only with him in her dreams while worrying when awake about what might happen to him.

"Finish your drink Cowboy. By this time Delmonico's won't have any of today's special left until supper."

"If it's catfish stew, consider yourself lucky. I happen to know there's no shortage of steak thanks in part to your friends."

The couple again made the attempt to walk down and cross Front Street to reach the restaurant. This time they were nearly run down by a freight wagon whose team had apparently panicked. Matt's quick reflexes pulled Kitty back just in time. The driver miraculously regained control as soon as he passed them, managing to bring the mules to a slow walk so suddenly that two large crates, balanced on top of the heaviest items, flew off the back as Matt and Kitty again attempted to cross the street. The smaller one barely grazed Kitty, but still hit with enough force to knock her off her feet. Matt wasn't as lucky. The larger crate hit him squarely. That would have been bad enough if it hadn't hit and then bounced off his already sore left side. Kitty rushed to his side to find out if their luck had run out and the injury was as serious as she feared.

Matt looked up at her concerned face as she knelt beside him and managed a smile through the pain. He started to pull himself up but found he couldn't. When he attempted the simple act of trying to put air back in his lungs, it brought on the worst coughing spell he'd had since he pulled that muscle nearly two weeks earlier. By the time Doc arrived, Matt's face was beet red as to his mind half the town watched, enjoying his discomfort. He was uncertain how much of his current facial coloring was due to coughing and how much was due to embarrassment.

Only moments had past, but to Matt it was hours. He did his best to maintain his dignity. Even so the coughing and stabbing pain in his side caused him to walk between the short older man and the red haired beauty to the doctor's office in order to hide how bad off he was. He fretted while Doc examined them, first declaring Kitty in good shape considering the circumstances before tending to Matt. Finally, Doc declared him fit enough to walk to Delmonico's to eat what had become an early supper while accompanied by his personal physician and nurse. She'd suffered no more than a slight bruise to her shoulder while his injury was severe enough to warrant binding his ribs.

Despite the pain, after their meal Matt started on his early evening rounds with Chester while Doc escorted Kitty back to the Long Branch. Maybe it was the pain or just the timing, but Matt let Chester talk him into meeting the seven o'clock southbound stage from Hays. Two passengers got off, a man about his own age and an elderly woman. There was something familiar about both.

"Dodge City has sure grown since I lived here back before the war. I see there's now more than one saloon to satisfy most all of a person's needs," the buxom elderly woman declared to the marshal and his assistant.

"You'd be right about that Ma'am," Matt replied. "But wouldn't you want a room where you can freshen up first?"

"Sonny, that comes later. Ben here, as grownup as he now claims to be since he was last here, might prove useful in that room, but I'd like to see who else is willing to try me. Either of you might serve even if one has a stoved up leg and the other's a bit stiff like he's got maybe a busted rib or two. Fact is, big man, you remind me of a fella Ben and I knew back around '55 who needed the doc that was here then to do a lot more than wrap a bandage around his chest. I must say you've filled out nicely and grown 'bout half a foot if you're that boy."

"What Flo's trying to say is you remind her of a friend from back then who saved my life by taking the beating himself. That's if you're Matt Dillon," her companion replied sticking out his hand.

"I'm Matt Dillon," the lawman replied accepting the extended hand and pumping it as he realized who the man standing before him was. "Ben Fuller, welcome back! It's good to see you too, Miss Flo," he added dropping his boyhood friend's hand and gently taking that of the man's companion and raising it to his lips like an awkward boy playing at being a gentleman.

"Mr. Dillon, who are these folks?" a more confused than usual Chester managed to ask.

"Ben Fuller, Miss Flo Delaney, this is Chester Goode here. Chester, I know these two from the first time Doc and I were in Dodge. Take them and their bags over to the Dodge House. I'll see y'all at the Long Branch directly."

Matt watched as Chester led two of the people who entered his life right after his parents' death toward the hotel before turning in the opposite direction. He'd have to find Doc, the other person from those days before Dodge was officially on the map.

Ten minutes later Chester led Miss Flo and Ben to the table against the stairs where Matt, Doc and Kitty already sat. Before the newcomers had even reached the table Kitty signaled for Sam to bring over a bottle of the best bar whiskey. It arrived with Sally Teasdale just as Matt got stiffly to his feet and Ben rose to pull out a chair so Miss Flo could sit down. Matt's sharp eyes caught a slight hesitation as Sally set the tray with the bottle and six glasses down as well as a quick double take from both Ben and Miss Flo.

"Now that the introductions are over, I'd like to propose a toast," Matt said ignoring what he'd recently noticed, and for the moment, the memories Flo and Ben's reactions brought back. "To old friends," he intoned, raising his glass."

Old friends is what they appeared to be as the conversation flowed, each of them relating how they came to be in Dodge City, that Gomorrah of the plains. At the same time they steered away from details too uncomfortable to share.

"Kitty, you've done remarkably well. I was ten years older than you are now before I had my own place. Even so, I had to come here when it was nothing but a crossroads on the Santa Fe Trail to do it."

"Thanks Flo, but I couldn't have done it without Bill's willingness to give me the chance and Matt's encouragement. Now that Laura's expecting, it makes sense that they build something of their own."

"I see your girls while mostly young and pretty are of marriageable age. Most of mine were younger, runaways or girls sold by their male relatives into the business. They were more likely to wear out than find any kind of a man to marry them. Even so, Matt and Ben can tell you, I tried to protect them as best I could."

"Matt, I reckon you're still riskin' your life like you did for me and Sally Teasdale."

"You betcha," Doc chimed in before Ben could ask the questions that were on his mind about the woman who'd brought their drinks. "I don't care to count the times I've had to work medical miracles to keep him alive. Just look at him now full of bruises and coughing his lungs out!"

"Hold on a minute, Doc. I wouldn't have these bruises if you'd been able to cure that cough, not countin' the ones caused by those pranks," Matt quipped as he realized why Sally was familiar.

Ben was about to call Sally over, but Matt stopped him. He remembered seeing Sally again after he'd left Dodge that first time. She and her sister Tilda worked the saloon near Carl Killion's ranch by the Canadian River back in '59 when he rode with Killion to try to save it. He'd learned some things from both girls that Kitty appreciated he knew, but until now hadn't realized the girl Ben was sweet on that worked in Flo's cathouse was Tilda's older sister, Sally. He still couldn't see what the sisters could have against either him or Kitty, but they had arrived just when the trouble started.


	9. Chapter 9 Friends and Foes

Chapter 9 – Friends and Foes

Doc appointed himself Ben and Flo's tour guide, pointing out the changes since that pre-war, pre-incorporated Dodge City was their home. He began with an eight o'clock supper at Delmonico's, which, as bad as the food could be, was still the best restaurant in town. In those early days the few permanent residents would have welcomed any food that surpassed the meatless stew from Flo's cathouse when she was lucky to find a girl who had the ability to become even a bad cook. The two residents of what was no more than a crossroads of mostly tents near Fort Dodge where frontiersmen and the early settlers sold or traded what they had for what they needed were amazed at how the town had grown. They listened to every word of every anecdote the crusty doctor told them about each building and the people who frequented them, including the jailhouse. The final stop was Doc's office. They marveled at how similar, yet changed it was and at the solidity of the brick jailhouse presided over by US Marshal Matt Dillon. It brought back further memories of a fresh off the Missouri farm gangling, newly orphaned youth of not quite 15. He was green but already showed signs of the man he would become.

Ben, remembering those days, left the oldsters to their memories while he attempted to locate the formidable man who'd briefly been as good a friend as any boy could want so many years ago. Back then they were both naïve boys who were thrown together. He'd just turned 16 and Matt was not quite 15. Despite being younger and beholding as he was to Ben's older brother Tom for work, Matt was the one who took the lead more often than not as well as a beating meant for him Ben reflected. It amazed him that the cause of that beating was right here in Dodge in the saloon owned by Matt's special friend Kitty. Perhaps Sally would be willing to attempt to renew old ties if his boyhood friend was too busy. Renewing old ties was exactly what Doc and Miss Flo were doing.

"I came here because I no longer want to do what I've been doing since I first had a chance to run my own place rather than be entirely beholdin' to a man's beck and call. I used to think I was helpin' girls like I'd been avoid the worst. I confess I came back where I started to see if a younger woman is better at it than I was. How about you, Doc? Did you expect to return to Dodge City, let alone make it your home?"

"Can't say that I did. Events following the war brought me back, but my being here helped bring Matt to where he belongs. He's the best thing that ever happened to this town. That doesn't mean he isn't still a stubborn, prideful fool. Even Kitty can't change that."

"You're mighty fond of those two, ain't yah? You were a young softy under that gruff exterior when Ben and Matt were boys. Now you're an old softy, at least when it comes to Matt and his girl. They hide it well, but in my business you learn to spot real connections."

Since it was a quiet evening for Doc, he had time to socialize. For once nobody was shot, stabbed or took sick. Babies decided not to be born tonight and nobody busted a limb. It gave two people who hadn't seen each other in nigh on to 20 years a chance to review their past over the next few hours. They reflected on what they'd meant to each other back in their younger days, how they survived the war and why they did and didn't want to remain where they ended up.

"If you're willin', Flo, I'm ready for a nightcap at the Long Branch before I turn in. If Ben's there he can walk you back to the Dodge House, but I'll put off going to bed for the extra few minutes it'll take fer me to escort you if he isn't."

"Doc, I wouldn't dream of imposing on an old friend. I plan on stayin' and observin' the late night crowd in action. Thank you for your offer, but I won't impose further."

Doc walked with Flo to the Long Branch anyway. He still wanted that drink. Besides, he was curious about what he might find inside. Matt and Chester weren't there, having begun their late rounds. Kitty was talking with Curt Dryden at the bar. Ben was with Sally at a table on the other side of the room. Her sister Tilda sat nearby with Clyde Billings, the drover Curt hired in Tascosa. After looking over the room, Doc and Flo made straight for the end of the bar where Kitty and Curt were picking up their beers. True to his word, Doc downed a whiskey at the bar, staying only long enough to say goodnight before the trail boss and the two women walked to the table by the stairs.

"Please don't think this forward of me, but I couldn't help but notice you watching those Texas gals across the room as if you know them. You ever done business in Texas Flo?" Curt asked.

"I ain't, but that girl Ben Fuller's with used to work for me back when Ben, Doc, the marshal and I lived here. Back then calling our home a city was a joke. Heck, it wasn't really a town. Sally quit me and left for Texas when Ben and his brother's work here for the proposed railroad was done that summer of '55."

"You left too. Where'd you go when the time came?"

"I followed the railroad crews up to Cheyenne with the girls I had left and took on as many new ones as I could hire. Now I've got a similar place in Deadwood to entertain the miners."

"That doesn't explain why you and that Ben fella came back to Dodge. Of course if you hadn't I wouldn't have nothin' to do between sellin' Mr. Thompkin's herd and goin' back to Laredo to ready another herd for market as his foreman."

"The railroad sent Ben from Cheyenne to see if Dodge merits a north/south track. We just happened to meet up with each other on the stage in Hays. I came to see if there was any way I could spice up my business or maybe start up something new. I'd heard about the Long Branch and the woman who owns it and decided to see for myself what she accomplished and maybe learn somethin'."

"Flo, did you forget I'm sitting right here? That's very flattering, but I never started a business from scratch like you did. The Long Branch was already the best saloon in town when I became Bill's partner in '69. He started it back in '61, a month before the war, as its first permanent saloon."

"Sorry Kit. I reckon Flo and I kinda got lost in each other. You might wanna know somethin' more 'bout those Teasdale girls you hired. At least one of them has a past with your marshal."

"Curt's onto something there concernin' your recent troubles. You know how jealous these girls can be," Flo added.

Kitty had to agree. Matt was an exceptional man. Once you spent time with him, he was hard to forget. She paused in her thoughts to look around the room. Ben and the cowboy were leaving through the batwing doors. She started to ask if Curt and Flo wanted refills, but they took their empty glasses as their cue to exit as well. She smiled to see the middle-aged couple walking out of her establishment with their arms around each other's waists. Fifteen minutes later, the saloon was empty of customers.

"Sam, you might as well go home," she told him as he stacked the last of the chairs on a table. "There's not much to clean up. I'll lock up for the night."

Kitty picked up the night's take and walked with Sam toward her office and the back door. He went down into the cellar to check the doors to the alley were shut and latched while she put the money in the safe to take to the bank in the morning. He returned as she closed and locked the safe door. Together they took care of the door between the cellar and her office then walked to the back door. She pulled it closed, locking it when he stepped through, knowing Matt would rattle every outside entrance during his rounds to make sure all was secure and would do the same inside when he joined her for the night.

The Teasdale sisters were drying newly rinsed glasses when she came back into the main room. Kitty walked toward the front to secure the glass doors. She failed to notice Tilda come around the polished wood of the bar to stand directly behind her until she felt a derringer in the small of her back. She experienced both comfort and dread when Matt chose that instant to walk into the saloon. Then Sally spoke, the shotgun from behind the bar aimed at his belly.

"Matt, my sister has a gun in Kitty's back. If you care half as much as I think you do about her, the two of you will do exactly as we say. Start by locking the glass doors."

Matt was surprised they let him keep his Peacemaker. He'd never shot a woman and wondered if he could to save Kitty's life. Right now that wasn't an option. As fast as he was he couldn't get off two shots before one of the sisters killed the woman who made his life worth living. He obeyed and continued to follow Sally's orders as they made their way up the stairs, Kitty in the lead Tilda's derringer at her back and Sally bringing up the rear with the shotgun cocked and ready, to Kitty's rooms.

No chance to gain control of the situation presented itself. Instead Matt was forced to surrender his pistol to Sally, who unloaded it and placed the bullets, along with the spares from his gun belt, in her skirt pocket. Tilda kept her small pistol leveled at Kitty the entire night even when helping herself and her sister to Kitty's top of the line whiskey. In order to keep alert the sisters sat in two of the chairs by the round table, facing toward the settee where Matt and Kitty sat, prisoners in their own home.

"It's time for you to look like the big man with the gun again. Buckle it on," Sally ordered as the first rays of the morning sun lit up Kitty's corner window. "Try anything on our way or after we get outside and the redhead gets it."

"This will be fun, former boss lady," Tilda teased. "I get to watch your face as you lose your man and then I get to kill you right there on Front Street. The sound of my shot will be lost in the ones hitting that murdering scoundrel."


	10. Chapter 10 Showdown on Front Street

As the pieces fell into place, this story became an ATC to Season 5's Tag Your It as well as Unloaded Gun. The action for the former takes place about a year earlier. Also, thanks again to all the guests!

Chapter 10 – Showdown on Front Street

Unlike the four people in Kitty's rooms those staying at the Dodge House weren't deliberately sleep deprived. By the time Clyde Billings and Ben Fuller reached the hotel from the Long Branch, Bud Peevy, swayed by what Billings told him, was already sound asleep. He planned to be ready for action come morning. Despite every effort during their supper and final tour of the many saloons and gambling dens Dodge City had to offer, Bud wasn't able to fully convince Tom Conway that facing down Matt Dillon was the right thing to do like he'd hoped.

Billings was already in his room when Flo Delaney and Curt Dryden caught up with Ben in the hallway as he turned his key in the lock to enter his room. Fuller turned towards them.

"Ben, we'd like to talk to you. It's urgent," Flo said. "I saw you with Sally Teasdale over at the Long Branch. We need to know what she told you."

"Come to my room where we can talk comfortably," Curt added. "I'm curious about what she had to say, but also about what Billings said. I've a feeling pooling information might save some lives."

By the time Ben left for his own room a half-hour later the trio had a plan. The two men would be armed and on the street by sunrise. Flo turned to leave for her room across the hall, but Curt stopped her with a gentle hand on her elbow.

"I'd like you to stay if you're agreeable. I believe we can relax each other."

"Since you're willing, Curt, I'll be more than happy to oblige. It's not often an experienced woman like me finds such an attractive man of the same general age willing to provide mutual pleasure."

Flo and Curt were happily relaxed and ready for more sleep but for the bright light coming through the curtained window. He hoped they hadn't overslept as he opened the door to allow Flo to discretely cross the hall to her own room to quickly freshen up. His own preparations took only a couple of minutes. He emerged into the hall to see an armed Ben heading toward the stairs. Curt raced to catch up to the younger man. Together they rushed down them and out to the street. Except for the scene playing out in front of them this sunny Tuesday morning, April 8, 1873 promised a perfect spring day.

Bud and Clyde stood, their backs to the hotel, staring at Matt Dillon glaring back at them as he stepped onto the dirt of Front Street in front of the Long Branch. Tom stood on the edge of the boardwalk on the hotel side so that he had a clear shot at Dillon should the other two miss if he had to. From where he stood by the hotel door Curt could see the indecision on Tom's face. Kitty stood diagonally opposite Tom far enough into the street for Matt to see her and the Teasdale sisters out of the corner of his eye.

"Bud, I know how you feel about Kit, but Billings can probably handle Dillon on his own," Tom reasoned. "Besides, I'm still not sure he means her any harm. We've no proof other than what the two women behind her told us that he's the one who set up what could have been fatal accidents for not only her, but him as well."

"You may not be sure Tom, but I am. Sally and Tilda convinced me. Billings has his own reasons for facing down that gunman hiding behind the badge. He just might be fast enough to get both of us."

"Peevy's right I stand a good chance of getting both of them before I go down," Matt agreed. "That doesn't mean I want this. I'm standing here ready to die for Kitty's sake."

"Bud, stop before you ruin your life! Those women hired Billings. He wasn't accurate enough for any of his attempts to cause permanent harm, but this confrontation could kill Dillon and Kit and then you when you hang."

"What are you talkin' about Curt? What makes you so sure?"

"I'm sure because what Sally told Ben Fuller here gibes with what I learned from folks living here. She and her sister want revenge for Dillon killing their cousin Carl Killion. He's kin so they chose to ignore the facts. The loss of his ranch turned him into a killer, a hired gun. The marshal kept him from murdering a young woman because her cousin didn't want to share an inheritance."

"Curt's telling the truth," Ben added ignoring Tom. He and I have you and Billings covered. Either you both drop your guns or you're dead men. Curt didn't say it Billings, but you know the only reason Matt's facing the two of you is because your girlfriend has a gun in Kitty's back."

While Bud and Clyde hesitated, their attention focused on Matt, Tom strode quickly behind his father-in-law's foreman and the railroad man. He then made his way unnoticed onto the street behind Sally and Tilda. Before either realized he was there he grabbed the little pistol pointed at Kitty from Tilda. Matt, alert for any chance, saw what Tom was doing and bolted toward Kitty's side ending the standoff.

Kitty savored the fleeting moment of Matt pulling her away from the sisters into his strong, protective arms. He remained comfortingly behind her, but his arms no longer encircled her as she turned toward their suddenly former tormentors.

"You're fired!" the angry redhead yelled. "The sight of you makes me sick! Ben, Tom follow them into the Long Branch to make sure they take only what's theirs. No matter what they claim, the shotgun leaning against the post belongs behind the bar."

While Ben and Tom dealt with the Teasdales, the awakening town, going about the business of opening shops and delivering milk, barely noticed the remainder of the group still standing on Dodge City's main street. Curt acted first, taking it upon himself to herd Bud and Clyde into the saloon. Matt and Kitty followed. The Long Branch was officially open for business even though there was no morning coffee as yet, but Chester, who'd been looking for his boss when he witnessed the altercation, took it upon himself to boil up a pot to be poured out of Kitty's fancy pot.

"I bet somebody other than Chester made that coffee," Doc stated announcing his arrival with Flo Delaney, who'd hung back in the Dodge House lobby until everything was settled.

"You'd lose," Matt replied. "Doc, it's a good thing you weren't needed. Four people might have died because you were late to a gunfight."

"Pshaw, Mr. Marshal? I have you know I only took my time because I knew you, with the assistance of Ben and Curt, had the situation well in hand. I'd have come as soon as the first shot was fired."

"Marshal, would you have been able to shoot both of us?" a chagrinned Bud asked.

"Nope. I couldn't have drawn against you," Matt replied as Ben and Tom came toward them with Sally and Tilda. "Sally, empty the contents of your skirt pocket on the table," he ordered before he picked up six of the bullets one at a time and calmly loaded his Colt.

Matt used the repetitive motion of reloading his peacemaker and gun belt to help control his anger. He needed to be clearheaded if he was going to get the necessary answers to determine what would happen to Sally, Tilda, Billings and Peevy even taking into account Kitty's preference. With the final bullet in place, he buckled the now loaded belt and returned the revolver to his holster. He stood at his intimidating full height waiting for any of the conspirators to start talking when Clyde Billings spoke up.

"Marshal, you've every right to throw me in jail. Falling in love, especially with an older woman, is no excuse, but that's what I did even before she left Tascosa. The money didn't hurt none neither. Tilda told me you didn't keep promises you made to Killian and her while bein' paid by him and using that money to pay for both sisters services, willin' as they were, when she was a mere girl of 17. It was the only way she and Sally could earn a livin' in that wild country where their cousin tried to make a go of his ranch by the Canadian River. It was her idea to use a series of accidents disguised as pranks to try and harm both of you so you'd suffer double before being killed."

"What about you Peevy? Was it love?" Matt asked sardonically.

"In a way. Kit was a kid despite all she'd experienced by the time I met her. Once I saw the woman she'd become I fell into old habits of wanting to protect her like any man would his daughter. I thought you were behind it all Dillon because you or your stand-in Chester were always close by whenever I saw what I thought were attempts on her life. Tilda and Sally told me you engineered Bill Pence leaving so you'd have even more control over Kit and the Long Branch. It fit what I already believed."

"Bud, I'm as determined to live my life my way and not at the whim of some man as I was at 15. If you'd asked I'd have told you Matt respects that."

"I forgot you're no longer that desperate girl. Curt didn't. I should have paid him heed."

"Yeah, you should have, but we've been together too long for Tom and I to part ways with you. That ain't true for him," Curt added, pointing a finger. "Billings, you're fired!"

"Kitty wants you girls and Billings gone," Matt added reasserting himself as being in charge. "Get out of Dodge. Peevy, because you did it for Kitty you can stick around until Curt's ready to leave."

"They say you never forget your first love," Ben interjected looking at Sally. "You were mine, so unless you have somewhere else you'd prefer to go come with me to Cheyenne. There's plenty of work for both you and Tilda, with the railroad or not. It's your choice. I'm no longer the kid workin' for his big brother. I've got a huge say in who we take on. The same goes for you Billings unless Matt minds if you stick around a few more hours. We'll just about fill up the three o'clock northbound stage. Flo, will you be joining us as far as Deadwood?"

"I'm not sure Ben. Somehow returnin' to that cathouse of mine doesn't seem that invitin' even if it is far grander than what I ran here. I'd been thinkin' I'd turn the place over to the gal I've been trainin' these past five years in case somethin' more appealin' turned up."

"Flo, I know we've only just met, but when you get to be our age findin' someone compatible to spend what remains of your life with ain't that easy. I'd be pleased if you'd come to Laredo with me. You can ride in the chuck wagon with Bud."

"Curt Dryden, is that your way of proposin'? If it is, then I accept!"

By two Clyde Billings had sold his horse and, under Chester's mostly watchful eye, found his way back to the Long Branch. He stood, munching a ham sandwich from the free lunch and sipping his beer by the polished wooden bar, assessing the early afternoon customers. Chester's eye occasionally darted toward Sally and Tilda, who were also taking advantage of the free lunch, their carpetbags on the extra chairs at their table, but his attention was on Kitty. She was talking quietly with Bud and Curt seemingly tolerant of the sisters' presence. That is she was until five minutes before the Hays stage was due to leave.

Matt, Ben, Flo and Doc left the doctor's office for the depot in time to see Kitty, with Curt, Bud and even Chester's help, herd the Teasdales, with all their belongings, and Billings out of the Long Branch to meet the incoming stage. They formed enough of a crowd that a stranger might think some prominent citizen was being given a sendoff until he looked hard at the way the marshal watched the sisters' carpetbags being tied on top next to their trunks. Matt's stiff posture didn't ease until Billings, after helping Tilda inside, sat facing forwards next to her. On the boardwalk first Doc, then Matt, shook hands in farewell with Ben Fuller. The lawman stepped aside to allow his boyhood friend to hand Sally Teasdale into the coach. Before Ben could join the others going north, Flo came up on his blind side to give him a quick farewell peck on the cheek. Satisfied those he ordered out of town were on their way, Matt stood on one side of Kitty and Doc on the other as the stage pulled out.

Wednesday morning Kitty forced herself awake long after her man had left but early enough for a seven o'clock breakfast to bid farewell to the remaining visitors. She managed to dress in time to join Matt, Doc, Chester, her old friends Tom Conway, Bud Peevy and Curt Dryden and Matt and Doc's old friend Flo Delaney before the rest of the party had finished ordering. After the meal they lingered only long enough for Wilbur Jonas to finish putting his merchandise on the boardwalk in front of the Mercantile. It was the signal for Bud to bring the chuck wagon round with Curt's and Tom's saddled horses tied to the back. Doc lingered with Flo while Curt, Tom and Bud loaded their supplies, pretending he was helping her with her valise. By the time Flo settled in the wagon with Bud, Curt and Tom were mounted alongside. As the woman and three men pulled away, Doc turned toward his office while Chester headed back to the jailhouse, leaving Matt and Kitty alone.

"Matt, do ever get the feeling we'd be better off if we never saw old friends again?"

"I don't know Kitty. There are advantages and disadvantages."

"You may be right, Cowboy. "Your friend Ben and my friends Curt and Tom did keep my friend Bud and your acquaintances the Teasdale sisters from killing us."

"You're forgetting something, Kit. Curt and Flo, who'd never have met if they didn't come to Dodge, will marry once they get to Laredo because our past met their present."

"I always suspected as much as you try to hide it you're a romantic. We seem to have a knack for matchmaking. Two other couples got together as well because of knowing us. Out of seven people from our youth, five turned out to be real friends and all of them found new or renewed friendships. How is it then, that I'm the only woman who isn't getting married?"

"I think maybe we both need a drink," Matt replied taking her by the elbow and steering her toward the Long Branch. "I'm buyin'."


End file.
